Live thoroughbred racing moves to Aqueduct Racetrack on Friday

by NYRA Press Office

The 2017 fall meet at Aqueduct Racetrack will hit the ground running when live racing moves to the Big A on Friday with an opening weekend highlighted by a trio of graded stakes, as well as the simulcast of the Breeders' Cup World Championships from Del Mar.

Opening Day will mark the official unveiling of the renovated 1 1/8-mile main track and the newly installed outer turf course, an extensive four-month project completed in September ahead the Aqueduct fall meet.

Racing fans can watch and wager on the Breeders' Cup on Friday, November 3 and Saturday, November 4, while the Aqueduct stakes action kicks off with the 43nd running of the Grade 3, $150,000 Tempted for 2-year-old fillies at a mile on opening day, the first of 11 graded stakes in the Aqueduct fall meet. Gates open at 11 a.m. with a first-race post time at 12:20 p.m.

Live racing continues through Breeders' Cup weekend with the Grade 3, $200,000 Long Island for fillies and mares on the grass on tap for Saturday, combined with full simulcast coverage of the Breeders' Cup in Southern California, highlighted by the $6 million Classic, with a locally scheduled post of 8:35 p.m. ET. Aqueduct's first post on Breeders' Cup Saturday is 12:15 p.m.

Sunday's program will be anchored by the Grade 2, $200,000 Nashua for 2-year-olds at a mile.

Due to the cancellation of Sunday's Closing Day card at Belmont Park, the $100,000 Chelsey Flower for juvenile fillies on the grass and the $100,000 Pumpkin Pie for filly and mare sprinters will also be held on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

In celebration of the Breeders' Cup, NYRA Bets is offering special limited bonuses for new and existing members, including a $50 "Bet & Get" sign-up bonus. Existing NYRA Bets members will be eligible to split one million, two million or three million points if they hit the Late Pick 4 at Del Mar on Thursday, November 2; Friday, November 3; or Saturday, November 4. NYRA Bets players that hit the Late Pick 4 on all three days will be eligible to split a four-million-point prize - equating to $10,000 in bonuses.

Also, NYRA Bets members that make winning exacta wagers in Breeders' Cup races on Friday, November 3 and Saturday, November 4 using their mobile device will receive a 10 percent winner's bonus, up to $20 each day. For more information on NYRA Bets and details on these Breeders' Cup promotions, please visit NYRABets.com.

The centerpiece of the 40-day meet, which runs from November 3 through December 31, is the Grade 1, $750,000 Cigar Mile Handicap on Saturday, December 2, supported by the Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen for 2-year-olds, the first stop through Aqueduct on the "Road to the Kentucky Derby," as well as its sister race, the Grade 2, $250,000 Demoiselle and the Grade 3, $200,000 Go For Wand Handicap for fillies and mares. First post on Cigar Mile Day is 12 p.m.

As the traditional Thanksgiving Day feature, the Grade 3, $200,000 Fall Highweight Handicap for sprinters 3-and-up will get the holiday week's racing action underway on Thursday, November 23. The Fall Highweight will be joined by the $150,000 Winter Memories for 3-year-old fillies on the grass.

The Winter Memories' matching race for sophomore males, the $150,000 Gio Ponti, will be held alongside the Grade 3, $250,000 Comely for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles as the "Black Friday" co-features on November 24. The graded stakes action will continue on Saturday of the Thanksgiving weekend with a trio of stakes, anchored by the Grade 3, $200,000 Discovery for sophomores at 1 1/8 miles.

Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday and Saturday, November 25 will feature special post times of 11:50 a.m.

Aqueduct Racetrack will be open Wednesday through Sunday with first post scheduled at 12:20 p.m. (with the above exceptions) through Saturday, December 23. The Big A will be closed for live racing from Sunday, December 24 through Wednesday, December 27. Racing will resume on Thursday, December 28.

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Live thoroughbred racing moves to Aqueduct Racetrack on Friday

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